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Have you ever wondered what happened to Christ’s twelve apostles after the crucifixion?
Immediately after the death of the Lord on the cross, they were reduced to a pathetic,
frightened group of eleven, Judas the traitor having hanged himself.
The followers of Christ were in extremely deep sorrow and were like sheep without a
shepherd,
not knowing which way to go, or what would become of them and the work they had begun.
Peter, being a practical man said, I go a fishing. Having denied Christ from feelings of fear,
he was laboring under a tremendous load of pain and guilt.
The first person to actually see the resurrected Christ was Mary Magdalene, a woman
whose past sins would, through human eyes, seem to disqualify her for such a spiritual blessing.
Christ chose to appear to her first because her faith and love had made her whole and pure again.
She was a true example of the spiritual renewal that Christ had taught during his earthly
mission.
This choice of witness shows us that we can all again become pure as little children in the
sight of God.
After appearing to Mary by the Garden Tomb, he appeared to his Apostles and conferred
upon them the Gift of the Holy Ghost, or The Comforter, to guide and uplift them in his physical
absence. This spiritual conformation gave them the renewed strength to go out in the hostile
world and testify of Christ's mission, his gospel and resurrection.
If the Apostles had been left to their own faith after the death of Christ, they would
have remained weak and fearful for their own lives. They would never have had the courage to
take the message of resurrection from the dead to the world if they had not seen it with their
own eyes. Even if they had tried, it is doubtful they would have given their lives for something
they weren’t sure of. The eventual fate of the Apostles is a strong witness that they
actually saw the resurrected Christ and truly believed what they taught.
- Peter was crucified head down in Rome, 66 A.D.
- Andrew was bound to death. He preached until his death in 74 A.D.
- James , son of Zebedee, was beheaded in Jerusalem by the sword. (Acts 12:1-9).
- John was banished to the Isle of Patmos, 96 A.D. (Rev. 1- 9).
- Phillip was crucified at Heirapole, Phryga, 52 A.D.
- Bartholomew was beaten, crucified, then beheaded by the command of a king, 52 A.D.
- Thomas was run through by a lance at Corehandal, East Indies,
52 A.D.
- Matthew was slain by the sword in the city of Ethiopia about
60 A.D.
- James son of Alphaeus, was thrown from a pinnacle, then beaten to death, 60 A.D.
- Thaddeus was shot to death by arrows, 72 A.D.
- Simon was crucified in Persia, 74 A.D.
- We know that death must come to all, but what is important is what we live for. The
Apostles of Christ, imbued with The Comforter, or Spirit of Truth had the courage to live
their testimonies, giving every last ounce of energy, and eventually, even their own blood
for the truth. All died at the hands of wicked men, except for John, who was promised that
he would not taste of death.
- Would they have been able to do this great work of spreading the gospel if they did not
really believe that they had seen the risen Lord with their own eyes? ---It is doubtful.
Laura Martin-Buhler
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